Governments Around the World Are Warning Citizens About Pokémon Go

Pokémon Go is an undeniable phenomenon. In the few weeks since its launch, the augmented-reality-based mobile game has garnered millions of players worldwide and is now so successful it rivals some of the biggest social-media networks in the world in terms of active users. But while the explosive popularity of the game has been a boon to Nintendo’s bottom line, it has presented a set of headaches for authorities in the 26 countries where it is now available.

The game—which uses A.R, smartphone cameras, and Google Maps to simulate Pokémon waiting to be caught all over the world—has incited troves of nostalgic millennials to traipse indiscriminately in search of Pokémon. This inevitably means players end up hunting Magikarp and Charmander where they really shouldn’t be. (Think: government buildings, historical sites, and memorials.) In light of this, some countries have tried to ban the game, others have issued warnings and the government equivalent of “stay off my lawn.”

White House spokesperson Josh Earnestwarned, “We encourage people to not suspend common sense even as they turn to Pokémon for a little summer fun.” He added, “Let’s just say I take no special delight in being the first White House spokesperson to say ‘Pokémon’ at a White House briefing.” In a similar vein, Bosnia urged players in the country to avoid land mines while hunting Pokémon, according to BBC.

Other governments have taken a more cynical, national-security focused stance on the mobile game. The New York Timesreports Russian officials leveled that the consequences of people playing Pokémon Go could be “irreversible.” An Egyptian official, Hamdi Bakheet, called Pokémon Go “a cunning despicable app that tries to infiltrate our communities in the most innocent way under the pretext of entertainment,” Al Jazeera reported. Kuwait banned the app at government sites, and an Indonesian official said that the game’s use of a real-time camera present a “security threat” in certain restricted areas, according to the Times.

Even religious leaders have raised issue with the game. A Cossack leader reportedly said Pokémon Go “smacks of Satanism,” and a Russian TV news anchor warned that playing the game in a church could land people behind bars for up to three years. Similarly, Saudi Arabia revived a more-than-decades-old fatwa, deeming Pokémon (though not specifically the new A.R. game) un-Islamic, Reuters reports.

This barrage of government warnings and bans, while seemingly ridiculous, was of course inevitable. It recalls when Russia launched its anti-selfie campaign, complete with sweet warnings like, “a cool selfie could cost you your life.”